Midway Arcade Origins (Video Game Review)

The history of video games can be a fun journey for younger gamers as they explore the older generations longtime favorite games that helped spawn the various genres that make up the gaming industry today. Likewise, older gamers can enjoy the classic titles with fond childhood memories of growing up while spending hard earned allowances at one quarter a play just to get another crack at the high score in Joust at the local arcade. Luckily, gamers can now relive those classic memories or discover these old school titles for the first time in developer Backbone Entertainment's Midway Arcade Origins. The new game brings together over 30 classic Midway and Atari titles in a single collection with the single purpose of porting these classics to a single collection for a new generation to enjoy.

Midway Arcade Origins features over 30 games from various genres including shooters such as Smash TV and Robotron 2084, action titles such as Rampage and Gauntlet, and racing titles such as Super Off Road and Spy Hunter. Many of the games feature different game modes to play brought over from their days in the arcade or from the Nintendo Entertainment System including some local multiplayer games. Each game within the collection comes packed in its own colorful arcade machine complete with a colorful box featuring designs inspired from the game that holds the screen in place. Cycling through each of the machines to see what they look like in Midway Arcade Origins is fun, but it's impossible for any collection to recreate the magic of playing the game on an actual arcade machine that many of us so fondly remember. Of course, the game's controls have been modified for a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 controller as well, which is sure to turn off picky gamers and dampen the nostalgia factor.

Each of the games in the Midway Arcade Origins collection is a faithful port of the classic titles meaning there is little bonus content packed into the game outside of the few tidbits of trivia packed into loading screens and menus and lingering problems still exist with the sometimes clunky controls, poor graphics and overall lesser quality of games that can be expected from the 8-bit generation. Still, there is some fresh content available in the Midway Arcade Origins collection that will breath new life into these aging titles. For starters, online leaderboards in the game will be the most convenient way to test yourself against the world in Root Beer Tapper, Marble Madness and other games in the collection. It's also a blast to play through each game aiming to unlock the Trophies and Achievements for each title that have never before existed outside of a few titles available for a short time on Xbox LIVE Arcade.

Midway Arcade Origins is only for gamers who seriously love their classic games, but there is a lot of fun to be had with the collection if you enjoy the classics. The fun gameplay, goofy storylines and crappy but enjoyable soundtracks and graphics are as prevalent as ever in these games, and while the collection isn't perfect, you won't find a better deal at less than a dollar per game with Midway Arcade Origins currently selling for the MSRP of $29.99. These games and the collection itself is far from perfect, but its the perfect way to relive the golden era of gaming or introduce it to a younger gamer who hasn't yet had the joy of crumbling buildings and eating innocent bystanders in Rampage or having nightmares from the horrors of Sinistar. Pick up Midway Arcade Origins today and think of all the quarters you'll be saving!

Midway Arcade Origins is now available from all major retailers and can be purchased for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Midway Arcade Origins is rated T by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Mild Sexual Themes & Violence. For more information on the game, check out the official Midway Arcade Origins website.